


Never Treasure Hunt on an Empty Stomach

by orphan_account



Series: Chlodine One-Shot Series [1]
Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Treasure Hunting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 20:07:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13488831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Chloe and Nadine run into a little trouble while searching for Paititi, the Lost City of Gold. But since when did trouble taste so sweet?





	Never Treasure Hunt on an Empty Stomach

**Author's Note:**

> _**Prompt:** _   
>  _“What are you doing?”_   
>  _“...Eating.”_   
>  _“We’re being held hostage and you decide to raid the kitchen?”_   
>  _“They didn’t say the fridge was off-limits.”_

Chloe had gotten a lead on a major job - not just a single artifact this time, oh no! There was an entire lost city to be found, full of ancient artifacts, jewelry, and gold. Many a treasure-hunter had tried to find this city, but was never able to (or they never came back from it). Nadine didn’t believe her at first, but once Chloe filled her in on the ancient city, her partner was all-in.

“Catch me up one more time, ja?” Nadine asked from her spot at the wheel, navigating a dinky riverboat through a rather small channel.

“Well, the Spanish conquered the Incas in 1572, but there wasn’t a soul to be found. It looked as if they picked up and ran, with their treasure, of course. The Spaniards never found where they fled to, since the mountains they inhabited are incredibly dense and confusing. But, thanks to our lovingly-invasive friend _Google Earth_ , some pictures started surfacing of areas where settlements once stood.” Chloe explained, hunched over a map _Megatoni National Sanctuary,_ where the city was thought to reside in.

“Alright, that’s all well and good, but why hasn’t no one else found it if it’s been captured by satellite?”

“Here’s the thing.” Chloe started, setting the map down on the rickety table. “Remember the part where I mentioned it’s incredibly dense and confusing?”

Nadine nodded.

“I may have forgotten to mention that there are illegal drug traffickers that reside in these mountains, so a lot of explorers and archaeologists are killed.” She said all in one breath, hoping that her partner wouldn’t get too mad at her.

“What?!”

Hope crushed.

“It’s not a big deal, love.” Chloe smiled. “We’ve dealt with Shoreline, I think we can handle a bunch of drug dealers.”

Nadine started and restarted her sentences quite a few times, before angrily shaking her head. “That’s not the point, Frazer.”

“Hm? Then what is?”

She drummed her fingers against the old steering wheel, shoulders taut. “If I had known how dangerous this was, I wouldn’t have agreed to this.” _’I wouldn’t have agreed to putting you in danger,’_ her unspoken words hung heavily in the air.

Chloe pursed her lips, holding back the several retorts that immediately came to mind. Instead, she walked over to join her at the helm. Nadine was staring straight ahead, not giving her partner the time of day like she wanted. “You know I’m not alone, right?”

“What?” Her voice was clipped, probably coming out a bit more forceful than she intended. 

“I have you at my side.” She crossed her arms across her chest, left shoulder leaning on the wall beside her. “And as long as you’re at my side, I don’t have anything to fear.”

Nadine glanced at Chloe before darting her eyes away again, feathers clearly ruffled. “Shut up.”

“Is...Is that a blush I see? On Nadine Ross?” Chloe grinned.

“Frazer.” A warning (a half-assed one at that).

“Ross.” She mimicked, grin stretching. When Nadine remained silent, she held her hands up in mock-defeat. “Fine, fine.” Her hands dropped to her sides, grin disappearing from her face. “I am serious, though. About feeling safe around you.”

Nadine’s eyes turned back towards her, any embarrassment or annoyance gone. She held Chloe’s gaze for a long moment, before simpering. “I know.”

The journey began as usual, with them trying their best to navigate the thick jungle, helping each other with any obstacles that came their way. It was almost relaxing, making their way through the silent and massive forest. Sure, there was the never-ceasing anxiety that they may run into drug traffickers and god knows what else while pursuing the lost city, but Chloe didn’t dwell on that reality for too long. It was quite obvious that Nadine’s mind was constantly focused on those possibilities - always the realist.

Just as Chloe was certain they were getting close to the city, she felt it - the cool metal of a blade on her throat. It felt like ice in comparison to her flushed skin, the thin sheen of sweat on her body providing somewhat of a slick between her skin and the knife. Lucky for her, the edges weren’t pressing against her throat - but one slip of the hand and she was done for.

Nadine had her gun out, aimed at what Chloe assumed was her captor’s head. What she assumed was Spanish was being tossed around, and it became increasingly obvious that they were outnumbered by at least a dozen men.

She was really regretting turning down Nathan’s offer to teach her Spanish, right about now.

“Drop the weapon or we kill her.” One of the men behind Chloe spoke up, his words blanketed with a thick accent.

Obviously Chloe didn’t want to have her throat slit open, but she also didn’t want Nadine to give in since who the hell knows where they would end up - and she was almost certain Nadine would have came up with an alternative, since she was incredibly good at formulating plans on the spot.

But after a moment, much to Chloe’s disbelief, Nadine surrendered. For a split second she was upset, mind focused solely on finding the lost city, but then she stopped and remembered who her partner really was: the only person in the world who had her back, the only one Chloe trusted her life with. Nadine’s worried expression was the last thing she saw before a sharp pain blossomed in the back of her head, and everything turned dark.

That’s how they found themselves in a house, probably miles away from the lost city. When Chloe came too, she saw a dilapidated kitchen, bare of any electronics except for an old stove and small fridge. She could vaguely hear a rumbling from outside the house - maybe a generator. 

The base of her head was in absolute agony, stomach grumbling, arms and shoulders sore from being in the same position for too long. “Ah, shit.” She muttered, trying to stretch and ease some tension. 

“Chloe?” Nadine’s voice came from directly behind her, startling the hell out of her.

“Nadine? Are you okay?”

“Ja. Bored, a bit banged up.” She paused. “You’ve been out for quite awhile. Do you make a habit of scaring the shit out of your partners, or am I special?”

“Oh, of course you’re special, china.”

Nadine scoffed. “Yep, you’re feeling alright.”

“Has anyone been patrolling?”

“One of their men, every once in a while. These guys are sloppy, for sure.” Nadine sounded absolutely disgusted with their handiwork.

“Well, their screw-ups are our gain. Let’s see if we can find anything to cut the tape off of these chairs, yeah?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

It was hard, trying to not make a sound while nudging the chairs across the floor. Lucky for them, their chairs weren’t taped together, which means they can move around much easier. Apparently, these guys were incredibly bad at watching hostages. There hadn’t been any sign of them since Chloe awoke.

Eventually, Chloe made her way to where she wanted to be, using her foot to open the door. With one more scoot of her chair, she was able to reach the glorious plate of flan. She leaned forward, taking a bite straight from the custard.

“What are you doing?” Nadine asked, making her startle. She was free from her bindings, small dagger in her hand. 

“...Eating.” Chloe said through her full mouth.

“We’re being held hostage and you decide to raid the kitchen?”

She swallowed. “They didn’t say the fridge was off-limits.”

Nadine simply shook her head, freeing her famished partner from her restraints. “C’mon, let’s get out of here, ja?”

Despite everything, the two treasure hunters didn’t find the lost city. As soon as they escaped the house, they followed the dirt road until they came across a town, relieved to be amongst civilization once again. After hiking through the jungle for hours, being captured, and walking for endless hours to safety, the true reward of the journey was them being alive, together. 

And a hot shower.

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk with me over on my [tumblr](https://nadinesarms.tumblr.com/)


End file.
